Should we consider drinking tap water?
I think the Dubai authorities should run a public relations campaign and promote the usage of tap water for drinking (‘Is lifting 5-gallon water bottles a weighty issue?’, Gulf News, October 16). When I moved here four years ago, I sent an email to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) mentioning my address and asking them if the water in the villa was potable. Within a day they responded with details of pH levels and other statistics and said that the water is potable. Then, I went on to contact a company that installed a water purification system right under my kitchen sink with a small dispensing tap up on the platform. My family of five - three adults and two children – have never had any health issues because of drinking water. The water tastes lovely, far better than bottled water. I am saving money, energy and space in the house. Plastic water bottles sit in a delivery van, sometimes outside villas in the heat and it’s not really a healthy option. I wish Dubai residents started using tap water and made the city a greener and healthier place to live.
From Ms Sailakshmi Deepak
Dubai
Find a solution
Few years ago, I underwent an operation to remove my gall bladder and the doctor advised me that after the operation I would not be allowed to lift anything heavy for three months.
This actually made me go and buy a bottom loading water dispenser. It was expensive, but I had no option because my wife, too, is not allowed to lift anything heavy. The five-gallon water bottle is really heavy. What I’m surprised is that the bottom loading water dispenser is still expensive and only two or three companies actually make them. There should be a solution to this problem.
From Mr Elvis A. Lobo
UAE
Managing the weight
I agree that the size of the bottle makes it difficult to carry or operate. However, personally, I’ve found a way around that obstacle. The bottles are delivered to my doorstep, so I roll them over on the side and into the house. When I open a new bottle, I tilt it slightly and fill a water pot (with a tap) using a jug. The jug is of a 1.5 litres capacity and I have to fill it four to five times. After the bottle is half empty, I’m able to carry it and turn it over on the dispenser by myself.
From Ms Vandita
UAE
Can’t do it anymore
It is very difficult to put a five-gallon bottle on a water dispenser. I used to do it before, but now I am having backaches after lifting such a heavy weight for a long time. Lots of people may be suffering from various medical problems from this lifting, but there is no choice. Now we are using a manual pump, but it’s not very handy. Something must be done.
From Ms Archana Sen
Abu Dhabi
Facebook comment
Better design needed
A five-gallon jug is fine, but it needs to be redesigned. The bottles would be easier to hold if there was a handle to easily lift them.
From Mr Rafael Cuaresma
Dubai
Facebook comment
Difficult to hold
I agree, it needs to be redesigned. If these bottles had handles to lift it up, it would be easier. Since those bottles don’t have handles, they are difficult to lift up.
From Mr B. Gautam
UAE
Facebook comment
Truth about selflessness
I applaud Ms Zainab Afzal Munshi and I completely agree with her views when she writes that marriage is not a game (Readers views: Matrimonial implications’, Gulf News, October 16). A real parent is someone who puts their child above their selfish ego. What Ms Munshi has written is not just a cultural value that demands our selflessness, it’s a universal truth. A divorce devastates everyone, however easy or cool it may sound. One needs courage and guts to stick out a challenging relationship.
Yes, some marriages are very challenging. Selflessness means whatever happens, divorce is never an option. Brilliant, Ms Munshi. God bless.
From Ms Rita Maneyapanda
UAE
Children need school
My five-year-old child has been going through this since she went to school this year and they say that they cannot admit her as she is panicked and crying (‘I don’t want to go to school!’, Gulf News, October 16). We tried another school, but we faced the same situation. We found the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Centre that is famous and good for her. But now they are asking for so much per year for just a five-year-old girl.
Because she went through two transplants and now she is delayed. She is only a child and she needs some school friends, but we don’t know what to do. Our next step is to try home tutoring, but we don’t have high hopes. School is what she needs.
From Ms Kike U.
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Facebook comment
Work as a team
Children do not like attending school, especially in the first year due to various reasons, but it is usually because they are not used to being away from home. There are some wonderful skills online for both parents and teachers to handle these situations. In other cases, there are other variables that come into play including lack of sleep, something disturbing happening at home or at school or other harder topics. Sadly, too, bullying may be a cause! In each case, it pays for parents to stay in touch with teachers to work together as a team.
From Ms Maxene Dodds
UAE
Facebook comment
Shameful behaviour
This is terrible and I fail to understand the logic behind abducting social workers who are out there to serve the community and do good for the people (‘American NGO worker kidnapped in Niger’, Gulf News, October 16). It is a shame that such people suffer due to their nationality or skin colour. I hope he is released soon.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Ajman
Facebook comment
Who to trust?
US First Lady Michelle Obama says that morals are important and then completely contradicts her position by saying that we should support Hillary Clinton who has proven to be morally deficient, in my opinion (‘Michelle Obama launches brutal Donald Trump takedown’, Gulf News, October 15).
From Ms Claudia Pendzialek
Stuttgart, Germany
Facebook comment
Clinton will win
I think that the US is going to have its first female president in November (‘Trump’s women accusers: what we know’, Gulf News, October 16). When the final week approaches leading up to election day, Clinton will be asking her supporters to double down on their efforts to defeat Donald Trump with a big margin. He himself put the final nail in his coffin by telling young girls that he would be dating them in the not-too-distant future. Clinton’s poll numbers have improved since the recent scandals broke. This is the way the cookie crumbles.
From Mr Sunny Joseph
Mala, India
Kuwait’s proposal
The proposal in Kuwait to further increase the minimum salary requirements for family visas may stop opportunities provided to expatriates to bring in their families, which may affect trade and business (‘Kuwait raises minimum salary requirement for visit visas’, October 16). The job market, which consists largely of migrant workers from Asian and African countries, has seen a general decline due to strict control measures followed in spending. Realty trading and the private sector are the most affected and it will continue to be affected.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
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